


Kind Smiles and Butterfly Wings

by Karla_Writes



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bullying, Fairies, Fairy!Haruka, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence, just a little bit, makoharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2014-06-18
Packaged: 2018-02-05 05:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1807027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karla_Writes/pseuds/Karla_Writes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a small child, Makoto meets a strange creature living in the forest. Over the course of 10 years, he grows closer and closer to the beautiful winged man and learns of a world so unlike his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kind Smiles and Butterfly Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again. So for this fic I did a bit of reading on Fairie/Fairy folklore, and I kind of took bits and pieces from each piece and mixed them to create this Fairy!Haru. I was going to make this a dark fic (in one of the articles I read it was said that fairies used to kidnap or even kill children) but my fluffy heart just couldn't go through with it. 
> 
> *Will also be posted on my Tumblr: [orcaliciousity ](http://orcaliciousity.tumblr.com/)

With an uneasy glance at his pregnant mother, Makoto took a hesitant step toward the dirt road ahead of him. His right foot had just grazed the gravel covered road when his mother spoke. 

“Where are you going, dear?”

“N-nowhere.” Makoto mumbled. His mother gave him a stern look, one hand over her swollen tummy and the other holding a dark green watering can.

“N-no really! I just want to go play with Rin.” Makoto shuffled his feet, tugging at the hem of his shirt nervously. He felt his cheeks burn in shame at lying to his mother. He hoped that his mother would only see it as a reaction to the blazing sun. 

Luck was on his side.

“Alright, just be back by lunchtime, or you won’t be allowed out again. Understood?” She said, soft smile playing on her lips.

“Okay! Thank you, mommy.” Makoto turned on his heel and ran. The wide smile that spread across his mouth nearly ripped his lips. It faltered when he remembered that a lie was the cause of such happiness. He would not be heading to Rin’s home, instead he was running toward a beautiful clearing he had discovered on his last excursion through the forest. His mother was weary of the forest, all of the grown ups were, and had warned him to stay far away from it. Makoto, however, had fallen prey to his curiosity. It has now been a week since he’s started roaming through the thick, dark green trees. The cheerful chirping of the birds kept his spirits up as he weaved through the shrubs. There were squirrels scurrying about and even a few rabbits. He had hoped, for the last few days now, that he could see a deer. He loved deer, they were beautiful and graceful when they jumped. 

_Wolves are better_ , Rin would always say, but Makoto just couldn’t agree to that. Wolves were big and had scary sharp teeth. He put those thoughts out of his mind before he scared himself away from going further into the forest. 

He was halfway toward his destination when he heard the footsteps and loud jeering voices. Makoto froze when he recognized to whom those voices belonged. 

Their village was a peaceful one, its population low, its inhabitant were kind and hardworking; however, it was not without its’ black sheep. The group of boys quickly approaching him were those black sheep. Makoto took in his surroundings, searching for a place to hide. There was none.

“Stupid idiot. The look on his face was priceless.” One of the boys sneered. Makoto crouched behind a tree, hoping that he would go unnoticed. The boys guffawed and swore in ways that made Makoto’s cheeks flush. He watched with a knot in his stomach as the group of unruly boys walked past his barely concealed form. Makoto sighed in relief when he thought they were gone, and rose from behind his tree. He had only taken two steps when long arms snatched him up.

“Look what I found.” The boy’s pointy fingers jabbed into Makoto’s ribs, surely they would leave behind bruises. 

“It’s the crybaby.” The leader of the their little gang said, a nasty smile on his face. Makoto frowned. He hated being called that. 

“Who would’ve thought the crybaby had balls.” Makoto’s face burned as the little gang snickered. The one holding him roughly pushed him down, only keeping a firm grip on Makoto’s wrist. Tears sprung to Makoto’s eyes at the pain the grip caused. He had never had to face this group alone. Rin had always been there to defend him whenever he was picked on. The redhead had, on multiple occasions, tried to teach the brunette how to fight back, but Makoto was no fighter. He sniffled as the boys pushed and pulled him up again.

A soft breeze brushed back Makoto’s hair as rough hands dragged him further into the dense forest, away from his secret clearing. Panic settled into his gut when he saw the edge of a glittering lake. It was a bizarre sight. The trees were thinner here, the leaves a different shape and shade of green. The mysterious lake was big, and Makoto wondered how normal it was to have such a thing in the middle of the forest. His musings were cut short and a whimper left his lips when he was pushed toward the lake. 

“He’s gonna cry.” The leader jeered. The rest hooted and mocked the brunette. Makoto couldn’t stop the tears from falling after a particularly hard kick to his back. More nasty words were thrown his way before he was hauled upright. He hadn’t realized he had crouched down, hands over his head to keep them from hurting him there. 

“…just throw’em in the water. He’s filthy.” The panic resurged. Makoto flailed in the other’s hold. He wanted to scream, but his voice was buried under his fear. His ears barely registered the boys’ cruel laughs before he was thrown into the clear, blue water. 

“Have fun.” Were the last words he heard before the water rose above his head. 

Makoto didn’t know how to swim.

…

The raven hated children. They were loud, obnoxious, ill-tempered, and severely lacked manners. He especially hated them when they dared enter his domain. The loud, annoying voices heading his way were unpleasantly familiar. 

That group of children was beyond rude. He had often thought of luring them to their watery graves, but had restrained that impulse. He was nothing if not rational. Besides, the brats had yet to step a single foot into his precious water, so they were safe…for now. He watched with boredom as a large brown bull frog jumped past him, landing on a smaller lily pad than his. His nerves began to prickle when the ruckus the group of brats made increased. He shifted and laid on his stomach, giving him a perfect view of the scene. He scrunched his nose in disgust at the sight. A group of four boys was attacking a smaller child. The little one was curled up in a ball, attempting to shield his head from any abuse. The other boys laughed as they did this, they laughed as they tortured one of their own. 

Humans were disgusting creatures. 

What they did next took him by surprise. The other boys threw the little one into _his lake_. They ran off after that, cheering loudly as they went. Anger boiled under his skin. Not only had they attacked one of their own , but they had defiled his territory. 

He stood abruptly, his wings stiffening as they receded into his back. He stepped out of his lily pad and into the water, his limbs stretching until he was much larger. His blue eyes quickly scanned the water, locating the weak splashes meters away from him. He dived into his water and swam toward the child. His only concern was to rid his pure water of the human currently upsetting it. In his larger form the child looked even smaller. He picked the nearly unconscious child from the depths of his lake and carried him to the shore. He felt slight discomfort upon seeing the blossoming bruises on the little one’s face and arms. The child began to respond when he placed him on the soft grass. The little one spluttered and coughed up water, his breathing ragged and unsteady. The raven should have left, he had been about to leave, but the child’s arms were suddenly on around his neck and he couldn’t move. 

“Tha-th-thank y-you.” The words were messy and the child was trembling harshly. The raven furrowed his brow.

“Don’t thank me.” The child flinched, moving back. His watery green eyes looked up at him. He almost felt sympathy for the child, but such emotions were of no use to him. He had saved a human’s life - a grimace nearly twisted his mouth - so now that human’s life was indebted to him. 

Even if it was a child. 

“Words mean nothing. To show your gratitude, come see me everyday until I grow bored of you.” Words of gratitude were meaningless among his kind. Actions always spoke louder, especially when dealing with humans. 

The child’s shaking decreased and he withdrew his arms from the raven, wrapping them around himself. The little one nodded slowly, a small smile reaching his lips. 

“Okay! Thank you.” The raven scowled at the unnecessary gratitude, but let it go. The child’s entire demeanor had changed. His face brightened, his trembling ceased, and his eyes, a shade of green the raven hadn’t thought possible on a human, sparkled. He had not expected the child to comply so easily. 

“What’s your name?” The child asked, looking up at him shyly. 

“Haruka.” The child stared up at him in wonder.

The raven stared down at the child. The genuine wonder and admiration on the boy’s face was nearly endearing. If he was to keep company with the child it would be wise to show the boy what he really was. He had his means of keeping the boy from revealing his existence to others, so there was no harm. Keeping his eyes fixed on the little one, he let his natural form come out. 

Makoto’s mouth fell open as he watched the man in front of him change. Large, butterfly-like, wings emerged from behind the man’s back. They were beautiful, with swirling designs of blue and black and looked delicate yet powerful at the same time. On the man’s pale, bare skin strange marking began to appear, they were elegant lines that curved and ran down the man’s arms, chest, and torso, disappearing under a wispy, black cloth that hung from the man’s hips. The last thing Makoto noticed was that the man’s ears had elongated, leaving them pointier than before. 

“Pretty.” Makoto murmured, completely mesmerized by the sight of the other.

“You are a…” Makoto was at a loss for words. He had never seen anything quite like Haruka, not even in those adventure books he and Rin often spent their afternoons reading. Haruka stood then, his wings moving slightly with the motion. 

“I protect this place.” Haruka said, motioning toward the lake. “Humans are destructive creatures that burn, kill, and endanger those things that get in their way. I live to keep this area safe from any harm.” After he finished explaining, Makoto’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. He had understood most of what the man had said, but was shocked at hearing such harsh words. 

Sensing the little one’s distress, Haruka bent forward, bringing his face to the same level as the boy. 

“I am aware that not all humans are like this; however, those who brought you here and nearly killed you are perfect examples.” Haruka watched as the boy lowered his head.

“They weren’t trying to k-kill me.” The boy’s soft voice wavered. Haruka reached over and gently lifted the boy’s head up. Dragging his thumb across a nasty purple bruise that had blossomed against the boy’s cheek. Anger quickly ignited inside of him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He’d seen with his own two eyes how the group of brats had beaten and mocked the boy before him, and yet the boy was willing to defend them? The boy was far too naïve. 

Makoto gasped then, getting on his feet in a hurry. He whipped his head around in all directions.

“I have to go back home or I’ll be late.” Makoto said, green eyes darting every which way before settling on Haruka. “I,” Makoto began uneasily, “I don’t know how to get back from here.” 

Haruka considered this for a moment, casting a weary glance toward his lake. He sighed softly before shrinking down to a smaller size, ignoring the little one’s surprised gasp. He stretched his wings and took flight, raising above the trees. From this angle he could see the intricate weaving of the trees and shrubs, the gentle flow of the smaller creeks, and the flurry of forest life. He rose higher, his eyes reaching further any other creature. He saw it then, just at the forest’s edge, a quaint little house somewhat isolated from the rest of the human village. 

“Your home is the one farthest from the village.” It was more of a statement than a question. Makoto nodded as he watched the now tiny winged-man reach his side. 

“This will lead you home.” Haruka waved his hand in the form of a circle and Makoto eye’s widened as a blue, wisp-like, ball appeared out of thin air. It was almost like a ball of flame. Makoto wanted to reach out and touch it, but he didn’t dare, afraid it would burn him. 

Makoto looked up at Haruka, who was now back to normal size, and smiled.

“Thank you very much for everything, Haru-chan! I’ll come back tomorrow!” The boy waved and ran after the blue flame that would lead him safely home.

Haruka stared after the little one’s retreating back, eyebrows knitting. 

_Haru-chan_.

No one had ever called him that. He pursed his lips, unsure whether or not he liked it. 

Haruka shook his head and returned to the comfort of his lake, now more than ever needing the relaxing sound of the water. The little human child had evoked too many emotions in him, far more than what he was use to, and it was tiring. 

Still, Haruka couldn’t help but look forward to the little ones’s next visit as he settled into the calming depths of his lake.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not expect to actually post this. It started as a one-shot Fairy AU, but I just couldn't leave it at that. I don't think this will be longer than 3 chapters, although those chapters might be a bit longer, but I really hope I can finish this up quickly. 
> 
> Anyway, feedback is extremely appreciated!


End file.
